First three Orange County veterans awarded Rick Hopcraft Memorial Scholarships

First Three Orange County Veterans Awarded Rick Hopcraft Memorial Scholarships

Newport Beach, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015 – The Rick Hopcraft Memorial Scholarship Fund, managed by the Orange County Community Foundation, has awarded scholarships to Orange County veterans Corey Hamm of Huntington Beach, Advaith Thampi of Irvine and Gary Matsuk of Anaheim. The scholarships range from $3,500 to $10,000 for a total distribution of $17,500.

The scholarship was launched this past August in partnership with OCCF and supports military veterans pursuing higher education in Orange County. It was created to recognize and support local veterans, as well as memorialize Rick Hopcraft’s military service and his community and commercial real estate industry leadership. The scholarship aims to help with higher education expenses and assist in developing new leaders in the Orange County commercial real estate industry. Hopcraft was a vice president of First American Title in Santa Ana and active in area commercial real estate associations.

Corey Hamm

Recipients include:

Corey Hamm, an Edison High school graduate, joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007, attained the rank of Sergeant, was a squad leader, and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Corey received more than a dozen awards, including the National Defense Service Medal and the Navy Unit Commendation. Corey is pursuing a business administration degree at the University of Southern California.

Advaith Thampi is pursuing a political science degree at UC Irvine. Advaith served as a plane captain, responsible for maintaining the plane’s systems, in the U.S. Marine Corps in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He received numerous awards, including the Navy Achievement Medal, and was named the UC Irvine Veteran Scholar of the Year and was also awarded a UC Regents’ Scholarship for his academic achievements.

Gary Matsuk

Gary Matsuk graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma and studies business administration at Cypress Community College. Gary served in the U.S. Navy “Seabees” beginning in 1973. The Seabees both “build and fight” in mobile construction battalions, developing airstrips, building bases, roadways and accomplishing construction, often in war zones of active fighting.

The Rick Hopcraft Memorial Scholarship Fund is managed by OCCF and led by a committee that includes Steve and Janice Hopcraft, Ann Browning, Nancy Kindelan, Kristin and Chris Martin, Linda Eddy, Tom Conway, Nancy Park, and Don and Linda Nemchock.

Scholarship applications from qualified veterans are currently being accepted. Contact Michelle Abril at OCCF for information and an application at mabril@oc-cf.org or (949) 553-4202. Contributions can be made to the scholarship fund at oc-cf.org or by mail to Orange County Community Foundation, 4041 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 510, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

About Orange County Community Foundation

Founded in 1989, the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) works with donors, strengthens the local nonprofit sector and works to find solutions to community needs. Since its inception, OCCF has awarded $360 million in grants and scholarships and ranks among the top 10 percent in asset size among more than 750 U.S. community foundations. For more information, visit oc-cf.org or call (949) 553-4202. Be a part of our conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.